10 of my Favorite Records from February 2024

Standouts from month two

Another post!

Look, it’s impossible to get to everything. A few of these records are going to be ones I’ve talked about highly already, some are chosen to highlight a particular genre of music, but generally these are just my favorite records that I actually DID get to in February that also came out this month.

If you remember in my January wrap-up, I didn’t have any records I gave a“4.5+” rating to. It’s a silly way to do music, but I do rate things via RateYourMusic, though those are never set in stone, are never objective, can change (and often do) and are often based on mood. This month, I had 4 records in that zone. It’s been a really good month for new music and I expect subsequent months to be even better! There are some records I really wanted to get to for this post that I was unable to (my classical listening has taken a hit!), but that’s ok. There is always the chance that come the end of the year, very few of these releases show up in the “Year-End” list, while many releases from these first two months that I haven’t written about will.

None of this matters, the methodology or anything. Here are 10 records that I think rule and I think you should listen to if you haven’t already.

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Les Amazones d’Afrique
Musow Dance (Real World) (released 2/16)
All-Female West African supergroup creates powerhouse record

I JUST wrote about this incredible record. But I’m honestly still riding a high from it. As stated in that quick review - this record benefits from listening to it on the highest audio quality possible, don’t sleep.

Burial
Dreamfear / Boy Sent from Above (XL) (released 2/9)
Burial returns, now on XL, with some HARDCORE BREAKS

I can’t pretend that I deeply remember every single thing that Burial releases, even though each single, EP and album seems like a huge deal - but I can say that I like just about everything the man does. I liked his ambient turn a couple of years ago and I love this look at deconstructing jungle and hardcore in his own way. I don’t think he’s an infallible creator that some treat him as nor do I fall for the mystery nor do I think he is a schlub who preys on burgeoning trends. I think Burial is a very good dj and producer and his ability to keenly limit his output and keep his fans wanting more, while always waiting to see where he’s going is really cool.

And the music is good!

This isn’t an album, but the two tracks together are 26 minutes so I’m including it. I like Boy Sent from Above more, but both are frantic workouts best heard in headphones (like all of Burial’s music). I didn’t expect this full on rave/post-rave workout from him and honestly they might be the most retro-seeking his work has ever been, but everything 90’s is IN right now and these are honestly exhilarating to my aging and addled brain. I’m excited to see where he goes after this.

The Chisel
What a Fucking Nightmare (Pure Noise) (released 2/9)
Energetic, straight to the point punk rock

When I first heard The Chisel in 2020, they were immediately one of the most exciting bands I had heard in some time. I’m awful at knowing what I want out of punk and hardcore and really anything heavy, but I know when something hits me like a ton of bricks and this record (and their last record) did just that. There are some more pop elements and sing-along highlights on this record than past releases and…shimmering? guitars, but there is still a ferocity here that just makes it a perfect, driving 100mph type of record. 36 minutes is the ideal length for a punk full length (if not a few minutes too long). Easily replayable, relatable and fun to shout to like the best punk of this ilk is. Really fun record.

Desiree Cannon
Radio Heat (Gar Hole Records) (released 2/23)
Hope Sandoval goes cosmic country with splashes of Lucinda thrown in

Obsessed with the sounds on this record. This is a record I can’t quite give it’s due because it is one that feels like will stick around me for YEARS before I realize “oh hey, this is one of my favorite things ever.” It’s that good. It’s a gentle record, but it is recorded BEAUTIFULLY and brings imagery of dusty nights in modern Joshua Tree, a dive bar in Tulsa, early mornings on a Vermont dairy farm. It’s a record that feels very NOW, with it’s influences worn, sewn and displayed with flashing lights on it’s sleeves. I’ve been describing it to friends as Hope Sandoval (Opal, Mazzy Star) singing Lucinda Williams, as I did above, but that is really dumbing it down so much - let me dumb it down futher: It’s Gillian Welch with Tift Merritt’s songwriting, it’s 1973 Emmylou Harris duetting with 2002 Jesse Sykes. It’s an “alt-country” masterpiece and just so so comforting. Comparing this record to all those other greats is obnoxious, but it’s a frame of reference and Desiree will bring to mind those names and many others, while remaining her own thing. It’s a deeply refreshing record in the landscape of Americana and hope it is a launching pad for a musician who seems destined for big stages.

Ellis Bullard
Honky Tonk Ain’t Noise Pollution (Feels so Good) (released 2/9)
Waylon worship as good as anything since Sturgill came ‘round

This is going to get big. It might take a minute, but Ellis Bullard is going to be a superstar. He has too much swagger, his voice is too good, his band is too tight, he has big time celebrity fans and he’s ripping through Austin and the rest of the country.

And the music is unreal good.

This is 100% pure, classic, honky tonk country music. This is Waylon and Charlie Rich and everything us traditionalists want this music to be, including songs that deal with tried, true, and overdone topics. Heartbreak, loneliness, not giving a fuck and more. I looked at buying a truck the first time I heard this, I searched for vintage Stetson’s. I don’t know how authentic this is or how much is pastiche, but I don’t really give a shit. This is immediately in the running for my single favorite album of the year and may end up there when all is said and done.

Tha God Fahim & Cookin’ Soul
Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga (Cookin’ Soul Records) (released 2/1)
Ultra prolific rapper pairs with ultra prolific producers to produce best record

It’s impossible to keep up with the output of either of these acts, full stop. Tha God Fahim puts out like 20 records a year of varying quality, with varying people and in varying formats. Cookin’ Soul has been around near 20 years, though I mostly know them from the YouTube algorithm’s insistence I listen to their Christmas remix records (I do! They’re good!)

This is all to say, I listened to this record despite usually ignoring most releases by these acts because I saw some hot reviews for it. Suffice to say, it blew me away and is my favorite hip hop release of the year, and would’ve been in 2023 as well. This is straight up boom bap, throwback music. Fahim sounds inspired, Cookin’ Soul bring their usual ability to throw soundbyte samples into songs as transitions and great low-key jazzy breaks. It just…works. If you have any sort of affinity for that 1994 East Coast sound and have found that the direction that Griselda has gone recently is leaving you behind…this is the record for you.

Heems & Lapgan
LAFANDAR (Veena) (released 2/16)
Das Racist rapper back after 6 years with his best solo release to date

This record has features from Saul Williams, Kool Keith and Blu - high school me is goin CRAZY.

This is such a welcome return for Heems. I wasn’t a big Das Racist fan in real time, became one after they dissipated, and then sort of just stopped listening to them after they got in some hot water with sexual assault accusations (specifically and most damning toward Kool A.D.). Heems has had some other projects I’ve really enjoyed, but this is easily the best release related to the group since probably Sit Down, Man and it might just be the strongest release overall. Production duty is being handled by Lapgan, an Indian-American producer I’m completely unfamiliar with but flips Southeast Asian samples as well as anyone I’ve heard not named Madlib. The rhymes are as funny and clever as one would expect, the guest features are thoughtful and add to the songs and the overall run time being just over 30 minutes means you can run this album over and over. This record is gonna get major play during the summer months, I’d expect

J Mascis
What Do We Do Now (Sub Pop) (released 2/2)
J goes more “dad rock” than ever and I adore it

The thing that I love about this record so much is the thing that initially kept me away from it. Despite most of J’s solo records going gentler than the obviously more harsh Dino Jr. records, I saw some early reviews of this basically saying it sounded like J got his balls ripped off. Then I saw a couple of reviews on Substack praising it and I thought “well, might as well give it a shot.” And honestly - it is gentle. Of the many Mascis projects I’ve heard, it’s the most “country” and the “softest” - and that is probably why I like it so much. It’s catchy and jangly and there is a little bit of pedal steel and every single song ends with a typically intense Mascis guitar solo that rips your ear drums apart. It’s pretty!

Saw someone call it “warm worn out mitten music” and honestly, yeah. That’s perfect and it’s right. Also, I’m a dad. Heaven help me as soon as I listen to the Wilco back catalogue again for the first time as a father.

Monkey3
Welcome to the Machine (Napalm) (released 2/23)
Instrumental space rock with face-ripping solos

I had never heard of this band, but just this week checked out this record on a whim after seeing a positive review and it really rips. It’s wearing it’s Pink Floyd influence strongly - the album title, the space motif, the general sound and it totally works. Sometimes you just want a record to vibe to and want to hear killer guitar workouts and this is that record. Progressive without getting too fantastical, spacey without getting too minimal, psychedelic without getting too trippy and metal without going too heavy. This reminds me a lot of that excellent wave of Holy Mountain Records releases we got in the mid 00’s, or even some of the longer, more psychedelic instrumental passages from later Mastodon records. I don’t know if I will listen to it a bunch or anything, but right now I’m really loving it.

Wyatt Ellis
Happy Valley (Knee High Records) (released 2/1)
Instrumental bluegrass from a 14-year old and some of the best pickers around

I wrote about this a few weeks ago and called it the best album I’ve heard this year. I still feel that way, despite it having some strong competition now. I am just truly amazed at how much I love the playing on this record. Instrumental bluegrass like this is almost cheating it’s way into my heart since I find it so endlessly listenable, but here we are!

There is a lot more to get to! Thanks for reading and hopefully you share some of my enthusiasm for some of these releases.